One Last Time
by Eleima
Summary: Slightly fluffy one shot which takes place towards the end of Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn, featuring a female elven PC bonded to Xan, depressed elven enchanter. BG2 spoilers.


_**A/N:**__ I do not own Baldur's Gate 2, nor any of the NPCs, etc, and the NPC mod Xan for BG2 is a product of Kulyok's brilliant mind and can be found at the Pocket Plane Group. This piece is something that came to me one morning, and just wouldn't let go. I'm not ecstatic with how it turned out, but if I keep tweaking it, I'm afraid I'll just ruin it._

_This little one shot takes place the morning before the party heads out to the Graveyard District to confront Bodhi and retrieve the Rynn Lanthorn. It's a bit fluffy and mushy, so steer clear if that's not your cup of tea. __Please read and review! _

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The first rays of light started to filter through the window of their room at the Five Flagons Inn when Xan woke with a soft groan. The night was drawing to a close and the last thing he wanted was to return to the world of doom and gloom that awaited them just beyond the door.

Softly, slowly, he twisted and turned until he was resting on his left side, and looked at the woman still sleeping beside him. Her chestnut hair, unbound, cascaded to the shoulders, framing her slender oval face. He still could not believe that this beautiful woman had fallen in love and bonded with him. Each time he looked into her bright green eyes, each time he felt her soft, eager lips upon his, he thanked the Seldarine. Although she carried the taint of Bhaal in her veins, irrevocably dooming her, she was his sunlight, his air, his water, his everything, his Alethra.

Glancing at the window, Xan sighed as he knew that the time was fast approaching when they would have to face Bodhi once more, presumably one last time. Although he had complete faith in Alethra's abilities as well as their companions', he dreaded that moment. It wasn't just his innate elven fear of the undead, it was... something else. Something he didn't quite grasp. Even though his stomach fluttered in terror every time she threw herself into battle, her bow singing, this was entirely different and it left him uneasy. There wasn't much to be done about this, though: Alethra would die soon of she did not recover her soul, and the only way to reach Irenicus was to obtain the Rynn Lanthorn from Bodhi's lair. This left them with precious little choice.

Xan sighed once more, and he tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. There had been so many times when that pretty face had been contorted in horror as she lay trapped in yet another nightmare, that he treasured each night of peaceful, untroubled sleep. Her eyelids finally fluttered open, and as she nestled encore closer to him, a now familiar warmth spread outwards from his chest.

"How long have you been awake?" she mumbled, her voice muffled.

"Long enough, beloved. I'm sorry, I did not mean to wake you."

She looked up at him through her eyelashes. "You didn't, don't worry. But why are *you* awake?"

"Oh, just thinking." He gave her one of his rare, genuine smiles. "And watching you sleep, of course."

She turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling, suddenly business-like. "I hope you still got some sleep. We're going to need your spells today." This wasn't like her; she was nervous.

"Alethra...", he draped an arm around her and held her tighter still. "You managed to enlist the Radiant Heart's help, you convinced Aran to send some assassins, you even stumbled upon Drizzt himself who promised to be there today. We're as ready as we'll ever be. Imoen will get her soul back, we'll retrieve the Lanthorn, and we'll find Irenicus, I promise."

She grinned at him: "Why, is that optimism, Xan? I didn't think you had it in you!" Alethra was always merciless once she had decided to tease him. The enchanter groaned, to her delight. "Well, that's more like it!"

How could he tell her of the terror that gripped him, of this notion he had that all would go awry? How could he look at her and tell her he feared it was the last time they kissed? He just couldn't.

Alethra sighed and glanced at the door then towards their gear. "We should get ready before Jaheira barges in and drags us out of bed", she chuckled.

"Ah, let us hope that Minsc and Anomen keep her occupied with battle plans revolving around Helm's righteous fury and Boo's sharp teeth sinking into vampire eyes."

Xan cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her. The fear faded away as she kissed him back, and it was replaced with an urgent need to be with her, to hold her while he still could. Alethra felt this need through their bond, and smiled between kisses, as she mirrored his caresses with her own. And so he took her into his arms. One last time.


End file.
